ATP Tour to implement 25 second rule between serves

Beginning in 2013, the ATP Tour has implemented a new rule involving time violations. An umpire will issue a fault penalty to the server if they fail to put the ball in play 25 seconds in between serves. Remember, its a fault penalty, not a point penalty right off the bat.

The key component to this is that the chair umpires must enforce this early and often and be consistent at it. They must enforce it regardless of who is playing, whether it be the top players or # 400 in the world. The players on court should not matter as the chair umpire is the one enforcing the rules for each match. Consistency is the key and not buckling to the top players. A “serve” clock should be in place like they have the shot clock in the NBA so that everyone on court can see the time ticking down in between serves. I would even place a buzzer once the clock winds to zero so that instant replay could be used to see if the server beat the serve clock or not. They have Hawkeye to review line calls, why not instant replay for the serve clock?

7 Responses

The rule sounds good, but if there is no ‘serve clock’, something visual, the umpires will continue to give players latitude. They just added a penalty instead of the warning the umpires would give (if they did anything at all). The visual clock would get the fans into it and make the umpires’ decisions more apparent to the crowd. Great to speed up matches.

I say extend the break! These guys and gals are playing more physically demanding tennis than any of us could ever endure…hell there is practically 5 minutes between most football plays!

Stop thinking of your play, most of us need 5 seconds at most since our points usually end in less than a 10 rally point. If you limit the time between points you will limit the amazing physical exertion and power on display.

The point of having a clock is so that all players play within the time limit, weather it is 25, 30, or 40 seconds. Some players, like Nadal, take much longer than most players between points so it gives them an unfair edge (cheating is strong, since the umpires let him do it). So for someone like Nadal, a serve clock would force him to start the following points quicker, which in turn takes away his edge. He doesnt get to ‘milk the clock’ after he has long points. That point is more important than the ‘speed the game up for TV’ in my mind.

What happened that players constantly need to towel their brow? Is it a way to find breathing time, like the Nadal towel stall. Players don’t need the ball boys to run to them with their towel to speed up the game, they need to get on with the game…clock them. Bye the way, how many parents would expect their child to catch a sweaty towel they tossed at them. Yuck! The players should take care of their own dam towels. Next thing you know the ballboys will be bringing them their water bottles between points, then bananas, shirts, shoes, on and on….. put up the clock and let ballboys be ballboys not beckoning child servants.

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